Feb 13, Seoul: South Korea has assured Sri Lanka to share its development experience to contribute to the island nation's economic expansion and social development.

South Korea's Prime Minister Chung Hong-won on Thursday told visiting Sri Lankan Minister of Economic Development, Basil Rajapaksa that Seoul will share experiences gained by the Saemaeul Movement (The New Village Movement).

Minister Rajapaksa is visiting Seoul as a special envoy of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to enlighten the Seoul government of Sri Lanka's progress since the end of the three-decade long war in 2009 and garner support for Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council session next month.

During the meeting with Minister Rajapaksa, Prime Minister has said that the state visit by President Rajapaksa to South Korea in 2012 played a role in elevating bilateral relations to the next level, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Prime Minister Chung, who visited Sri Lanka last year, has stressed that South Korea wants to push forward follow-up cooperative measures that can lead to positive results.

He has pointed out that Seoul is pleased that Official Development Assistance provided in the past to the South Asian country has been helpful and that cooperation to share lessons learned in the Saemaeul Movement can be beneficial both economically and for social development.

Korean Government last year agreed to fund the development of two rural villages in the Kegalle and Ratnapura Districts under the Saemaul Movement for rural development.

Appreciating South Korea's assistance offered in the area of infrastructure, education and waste disposal, Minister Rajapaksa has asked for greater investment by South Korean companies in Sri Lanka.